I Know What the Word Gone Means
by girl with the sbahj tattoo
Summary: House cleaning isn't supposed to be this painful. -Team Seven-


Here's something I just made up real quick-like :v Sorry for the shitness of this story; It's three A.M. and I don't even give a fuck. I'm not bothering with spell-check either; So sorry if I spelled something wrong or didn't capitalize some things. I'm in a bad mood. :v

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><p><strong>I Know What The Word Gone Means<strong>

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><p><em>I was searching your bedroom for any signs of life<em>

_Abandoned books and dusty keepsakes were all that I could find._

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><p>The worst part about Sasuke leaving wasn't exactly the fact that he had left, it was that he left everyone behind.<p>

He had hurt everyone that he was at least somewhat close to, and it affected everyone. Even those that didn't entirely know him that well. It was one of those things were they stopped and thought to themselves, "Hey. I had the chance to know that kid. But not anymore, apparently."

It was almost like a national day of mourning for some of the people, but one filled with hope and determination. Tension, almost. But only almost.

Of course, it effected his team the most. They're thoughts all seemed to jumble together during the first few weeks.

_"Why?"_

It was a pretty obvious answer when they thought about it, but none of them wanted to admit it. After all, it would only make the throb they felt intensify. It did somewhat, the day that they had to clean out his apartment.

It was neat and tidy, but there was a layer of dust on the funiture. A layer of something else too, that just couldn't be dusted away. It had been weeks since anyone had stepped foot in the abode that Sasuke once called home.

They started with the kitchen. Thankfully, there wasn't anything in the fridge that had rotten except for the milk and what few fruits and vegitables he kept. It brought Sakura to her knees, however. It made her believe that he had planned on leaving for a while, but it made him thoughtful enough to make cleaning everything easier.

Hell, most of his clothes were gone as well. Give or take a few shirts and pants. It was all just empty furniture that seemed to be there for show.

It made all of them weep freely; Minus Kakashi. He'd forgotten how to cry long ago.

The small bathroom was just about the worst part. Just by standing in the doorway, you could easily see what his morning routine would be. Brush his teeth, get in the shower, do everything in his power to get his hair to stay down in at least the front, and dress.

The only thing that was left, however, was a bottle of clonge that appeared to have only been used for special occasions. Those were always few and far inbetween for the stotic Uchiha. He was never really one to socalize.

They couldn't bring themselves to throw it out, however. It was decided that Sakura should hold onto, since she was better at keeping up with things better than the rest of them. When he came back to them, she could return it to him.

They all knew in their head that that day might never come, even though they would never admit it. They were in denial. And they would probably spend the rest of theirs lives that way.

Who said they weren't content with that?

The last thing on the list for them to do was the chest by the window. Where it was suspected all the books, scrolls, and personal items were kept.

They couldn't have been more right.

In the bottom drawer was all kinds of momentos from past missions and life before any of them knew Sasuke; Most likely from his childhood when things were happier. There was a family picture, a drawing, a pressed flower, and a multitude of childrens' books. Sakura also decided to hold onto those, even though it pained her so much she had to force down a choked sob.

In the middle drawer, there was more pictures and books than anything. Some of them were dog-eared while some seemed no more than a few weeks old. None of them ever took Sasuke as the one to read, even if he was a prodigy.

The pictures were more like snapshots that had been taken over the years, mostly of his academy days and family. This time Kakashi stepped up, and offered to hold onto them.

No one had the strength to disagree.

The top drawer was nothing but weapons; Weapons he'd never used before. Perhaps they were for emergency, or just in case he couldn't use the ones he had now. They were all pretty basic, too. Senbon, kunai, shuriken. The normal stuff. Nothing that would make them turn emotional.

Well, not until you got to the very top of the chest.

It was a picture frame. Medium sized. And one that looked familar to all of them.

The only thing was it was facing down, as if someone couldn't stand to look at it.

The picture of Team Seven; Annoyed Sasuke and Naruto with cheerful Sakura and bored Kakashi. The classic picture that some would say started the friendship that they held to this day.

It was absolutly heartbreaking.


End file.
